


Blackened

by TheArtisticIntrovert



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: (sorry i didn't have gundam talk v much i have no fuckin clue how to write him aaaa), Alternate Chapter 4, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Basically "what if hinata was the blackened" because i live for protags who do bad things, Chapter 4 Spoilers, a lot less cracky than colorblind i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 01:43:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7957441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheArtisticIntrovert/pseuds/TheArtisticIntrovert
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Hinata was the blackened? Because in my opinion, if it weren't for the Chapter 4 Blackened stepping in when they did, I'm pretty sure that Hinata might've snapped and offed someone himself just so they could eat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bandtrees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bandtrees/gifts).



> This is gonna be four chapters, one updated every day until I run out. It's all already written, so I won't need to scramble for them.
> 
> also i kept typing chiaki when she wasn't speaking so now their first names are used in like speech tags n shit but when they're talking it follows the japanese naming system

_ ‘I’m…….hungry… hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry….’  _ Hajime stared blankly at the grape projections drifting across the walls of the lounge, numbly bracing his trembling frame against the doorway to the lounge.  _ ‘If… If this goes on… until I die… No! What am I thinking… Exit… I need to find the exit… Because… if I stay locked up in here much longer… I’m seriously gonna go crazy…’  _ He narrowed his eyes, biting his lip and pushing himself off the wall. “Where the fuck is the exit?!” he whispered harshly, gritting his teeth. Suddenly, he remembered what Monokuma had said earlier, when he explained the Final Dead Room.  _ ‘That’s right… Nobody’s been in there yet… The exit might be in there…!’ _

 

Rushing as fast as he dared, Hajime made his way downstairs to the elevator. Strawberry House was close, and the exit might be even closer. All he had to do was win that so-called ‘Life-Threatening Game’. He snorted quietly to himself, leaning heavily against the back wall of the colorful elevator. “Life-Threatening… Every minute I spend locked in this damn Funhouse is life-threatening…” he muttered derisively, standing up straighter and ignoring his growling stomach when the elevator came to a stop in Strawberry House. 

 

He stumbled his way out of the elevator, wobbling past the massive strawberry-patterned strawberry and bracing himself with both hands on the door. “I-If I win the Life-Threatening Game here… I’ll be able to go to that Octagon place, right?” he muttered, staring down at the floor.  _ ‘The exit… it’s gotta be here! It  _ **_has_ ** _ to be here!’  _ A breathy, slightly hysterical laugh that’d be better suited to Komaeda forced its way out of his throat. “With this… I can  _ finally  _ get OUT!” he cried, sliding his hand down the painted surface of the door to reach for the handle, when a voice stopped him.

 

“You can’t do that.” Hajime turned his head, peeking over his shoulder to see who spoke. “You shouldn’t go in there. You… You won’t find what you’re looking for,” Chiaki said firmly, face as composed as usual.

 

“T-That’s not true, Nanami! The exit’s going to be here! It… It  _ has  _ to be here!” he cried, turning to face her and bracing his back against the door. Her eyes narrowed and she took a step closer.

 

“There is no exit. All that’s there… is the Life-Threatening Game,” she said calmly, staring at him impassively. “Even if you clear it, all you’ll find is the weapon that Monokuma prepared. Or… do you  _ want  _ the weapon? What are you going to do once you obtain it?” Hajime didn’t reply, looking away. He didn’t tell her that for a split second, the thought that the weapon  _ was  _ the exit had crossed his mind before he hastily discarded the very notion. “...Do you need it?” Chiaki asked, sounding concerned. He swallowed thickly, still refusing to meet her eyes. She sighed gently. “You had this intense look on your face while you were walking over here, so I followed you. It seems I made the right choice… Hinata-kun… Let’s go back, alright?” she said gently, a small smile on her face. Hajime frowned, before nodding. For now, he’d leave the Final Dead Room alone. As he followed Chiaki back to Grape House, he clenched his fists again as another hunger pang shot through him, the growling ringing like the roar of a beast in his ears.

 

_ ‘One way or another… I’m getting out of here.’ _

 

\--

 

After saying his goodnights, Hajime lay in bed for a while, waiting for the sounds of people moving outside to cease. He had been thinking about all that had happened that day, especially about that morning.  _ ‘Despite what I said earlier… I… don’t want to starve to death in here… I have to do something about it…’  _ He rolled over, staring with half-lidded eyes at the peeling green wallpaper next to his head.  _ ‘Monokuma wouldn’t let us investigate on an empty stomach, right? So… So maybe, if there was a murder… we could all finally eat… It’s just… sacrificing the one for the needs of the many… right?’ _

 

He had made up his mind. Slowly, so he didn’t pass out, he crawled out of bed and stood up. He hesitated, looking around the room. There wasn’t much that looked like a weapon, but… he grabbed the pillow anyway. He poked his head out of his room, checking down both ends of the hall to make sure everyone had gone to sleep. He could hear snoring faintly echoing through the cracked wood of Akane’s door, so he didn’t need to worry too much when he crept out of his room. He closed his door quietly behind him, wincing when the aged wood squealed softly in protest. He held his breath and looked down the hall again, making sure nobody in the lounge was going to come out to see what the noise was.

 

After what felt like an eternity, he began moving again. His besocked feet muffled his footfalls on the smooth floor as he made his way down the hall. He hesitated in front of the Deluxe Room doors, looking back and forth slowly between them. Sonia would probably be the easier of the two to get the drop on, though her death would mean that Kazuichi’s desire to find and punish the Blackened who killed his beloved Miss Sonia would be increased tenfold. There was also the matter of Chiaki, who had been a valuable asset to past investigations… He didn’t want her against him. Making up his mind, he pushed open one of the doors silently.

 

The door, contrary to his experience with his own, didn’t make a single sound as he swung it open. Soft green light fell across Chiaki’s sleeping form, illuminating her pale skin in an eerie glow. He swallowed heavily, softly creeping his way inside and closing the door behind him with a barely audible click. He walked up to her bed, gently rolling her to her back and carefully pulling the blanket over her shoulders. She stirred slightly, making a soft noise of discontent before settling again. Hajime carefully climbed atop her, pinning the blanket to her sides tightly with his knees as he lifted the pillow from the floor. “Mmn… Hinata-kun…? What’re you…” Chiaki mumbled, eyes blinking open and blearily peering up at him.

 

Hajime panicked, slamming the pillow down over her face and pressing down with all of his strength. She wriggled around beneath him, fighting for air, but with her arms pinned it was in vain. Muffled screaming leaked out from behind the pillow, and the sound hit Hajime like a sledgehammer. He grit his teeth and sniffed away tears, mindlessly mumbling about an escape and how sorry-  _ ‘so fucking sorry Nanami I’m so  _ **_sorry_ ** _ ’ _ \- he was.

 

Finally, just as his arms started shaking from exhaustion and weakness, she stopped struggling. He waited a beat or two more before hesitantly lifting the pillow away from her face. He held his hand under her nose, cursing softly when a tiny breath whistled out against his skin. He hastily pushed the pillow back over her face before she could inhale again, crossing his arms and lying down on the pillow to further block her airways.  _ ‘Movies made this look a lot easier… How the hell did Tsumiki do it?!’  _ he thought faintly, starting to get a bit dizzy himself. Keeping her down had taken a lot more out of him than expected. He pinched the skin on the back of his hand roughly to stay awake. He couldn’t afford to pass out at the crime scene, not when his life was at stake.

 

After another five or so minutes passed, her body started twitching again. Hajime startled out of his daze, pressing harder on the pillow as a disgusting stench of several different bodily fluids filled the room. Her back arched once more before dropping back to the bed with a dull thump, and he cautiously lifted the pillow again. He poked her face, sighing in relief when nothing happened. Climbing off of the plush bed and arranging her body a bit more neatly, he poked his head out of the room. Seeing nobody, he made his way back to his own room to dispose of the evidence. He tucked the pillow away back on the futon, making sure the casing had no odd stains or drool on it. He climbed back under the covers, flipping over the pillow to put the side that had touched Chiaki’s face against the mattress. He lay down and closed his eyes, resolving to get some rest. He’d need it for the trial that’d be tomorrow.  _ ‘Guess we’ll see if my talent could be SHSL Actor…’  _ he thought dazedly, before drifting off.


	2. Chapter 2

When Hajime woke up, it was to freezing arms, a dull ache in his ribs, and a shrill scream. He snapped awake and rolled out of bed, hastily pulling on his shirt and pants and rushing out of the room. He skidded to a halt at the end of the hall, gritting his teeth when a flurry of black dots danced across his vision in tandem with the grapes. “What is it, what happened?” he asked, looking over at Sonia. 

 

“I-It’s Nanami-san! We were going to be late for Monokuma Tai Chi, so I went to wake her up. But when I went to do so, her room smelled awful and she wasn’t breathing!” Sonia explained, clasping her hands together worriedly. Before Hajime could respond, another voice rang out in the hall.

 

“Oi, what’s goin’ on?” Akane yawned, scratching her ear tiredly. When she arrived in the doorway to the room, Sonia barely had time to open her mouth before a familiar announcement went off.

 

**-KZZT-**

 

**_Bing, bong, bang, bong!_ **

 

**_“A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, which you can use however you like, we’ll hold a class trial! Oh man, I can’t wait!”_ **

 

**-KZZT-**

 

Akane blinked, suddenly wide-awake. “A body?! Shit, don’t tell me-” she started, only to be cut off by the appearance of Monokuma himself.

 

“Thaaaaat’s right! I guess someone got desperate enough to try and fight their way outta here! But enough of that stuff, here! Can’t have you sorry bastards passing out in the middle of the investigation, can I?” Monokuma said cheerfully, holding out three red bean buns and milk bottles. Despite their worry for their lost friend, all three students greedily gobbled down the food. Monokuma laughed mockingly, waving his paw patronizingly. “Now now, calm down! Eat it slowly, you don’t wanna be sick all over yerselves, do ya?” he snickered, before vanishing. Loathe to stop, but now worried about getting sick, all three slowed down.

 

When the last crumbs were licked up and the bottles emptied, they all converged in the lounge. “Alright, now we gotta start the investigation, right? Now that I got some food in me, I’m all fired up and ready to go!” Akane said, pumping her fist in the air. Sonia bit her lip, holding up a hand.

 

“Please wait! I think that we should first notify the boys in Strawberry House of what has occurred, don’t you agree? They would have heard the announcement, but they will not know who is dead, nor where,” Sonia objected.

 

“Well, what if we do both? Someone calls Strawberry House, while whoever’s left goes to start investigating? The person on phone duty can catch up once the conversation’s over, right?” Hajime suggested, shivering when a draft blew through his thin binder. He decided to finish buttoning his shirt while they talked.

 

“That’s a great idea! Hinata, you call the others. Thanks for volunteering!” Akane said cheerfully, grinning and clapping him on the back. He winced slightly at the impact, shoulder blades stinging. He buttoned up the last button and scratched the back of his head.

 

“Uh, yeah… Sure. No problem,” he said awkwardly, standing up. “Anyway, it’s been decided? I’ll call Strawberry House while you two investigate. Is that alright with everyone?” he confirmed, looking around the table. After the other two agreed and left the lounge, Hajime took a second to compose himself before heading off to the phone. He pressed the large strawberry button, mind wandering as the dull monotone droned in his ear.

 

He jumped when the other line clicked and a familiar voice sleepily answered. “Yeah, hello? Whuzzgoinon?” Kazuichi yawned, voice tinny and distorted.

 

“Um, Souda? C-Could you gather the others? We… We have a situation over here,” Hajime started hesitantly, clutching the wire tightly in a sweaty fist.

 

“Oh yeah, the body announcement, right? Wait, fuck, don’t tell me-! It wasn’t Sonia-san, was it?!” Kazuichi cried, suddenly sounding a lot more alert.

 

“No, it wasn’t Sonia. It was Nanami, she’s dead. We need the rest of you to get over here, right away,” Hajime said. Monokuma should’ve showed up at Strawberry House by now, right?

 

“No, yeah, I’ll get the others ASAP. We’ll be right over, alright? Hang tight ‘till then,” Kazuichi said, sounding a bit distracted. Hajime nodded, then voiced his agreement when he remembered Kazuichi couldn’t see him. Kazuichi hung up, leaving Hajime alone with his thoughts and a soundtrack of a monotone dial tone.

 

\--

 

“Who was that?” Kazuichi shrieked when a voice spoke suddenly from just behind him, clutching his chest.

 

“Holy shit dude, don’t scare me like that! It was just Hinata, he was telling me more about the announcement. Apparently it was Nanami who died, he wants us to get over there as soon as we can,” Kazuichi explained, turning to face the newcomer. Fuyuhiko nodded, scowling.

 

“Dammit, not another one… Is this ever gonna end?” he growled, both boys jumping when a robotic-tinged voice rang out behind them.

 

“Nnnope! This School Trip of Mutual Killing won’t end until either a blackened wins or you’re all dead!” Monokuma said gleefully, clasping his paws to his cheeks and wiggling about.

 

“Tch. You don’t have to sound so damn happy about it, bastard!” Fuyuhiko snapped angrily, gritting his teeth.

 

“Aww, is that any way to treat your kind, benevolent headmaster? I brought you food, you know…” Monokuma pouted, scuffing his foot on the floor. Both Fuyuhiko and Kazuichi stiffened, a loud growl ringing through the room at the mention of food. Reluctantly apologizing, Fuyuhiko smiled in relief when he was presented with a red bean bun and a bottle of milk. Monokuma wandered off to get the rest of the Strawberry residents, herding them all back into the lounge. “Alright, punks. Here’s yer food, eat up slowly! Then go to the second floor of Grape House! I’ll meet you there with the Monokuma File!” he ordered, before vanishing.

 

The boys all traded glances, a mutual feeling of  _ ‘what the  _ **_fuck_ ** _ ’  _ descending over the room. However a loud growl ringing out through the room completely derailed any discussion that may be brewing. They all scarfed down the food, some finishing later than others. Gundam especially, since he kept feeding some of his bun to his hamsters. “Alright, I’m gonna start heading over there. I’d suggest hurrying it up, since the elevator takes forever.” Fuyuhiko said, taking charge. He stalked out of the room, seeming pricklier than usual. Seems the early morning wakeup call didn’t do much for his personality.

 

\--

 

Hajime hung up the phone, taking a minute to compose himself. The bun was churning unpleasantly in his stomach, but he wasn’t sure if it was a result of eating too quickly or just plain old guilt. He truly regretted killing Chiaki, but there was no other way to save the rest of his friends. He didn’t want everyone to die slowly, trapped in this hellish place, not when he could do something about it. With a jolt, he realized he didn’t want to die, either. He didn’t want to be executed, but if he wasn’t… if he hid his involvement, then his friends would die anyway. Wouldn't that make his sacrifice…  _ her _ sacrifice... wouldn't it make them meaningless?

 

He bit his lip, considering. If he kept the evidence hidden, he’d live but all his friends would die. If he brought it out into the open immediately, then they wouldn’t trust him in the last few hours he had left. But if he hid it poorly… That just might work. He peeked around the corners to make sure that Sonia and Akane were occupied before looking the other way to try and see if the Strawberry Housers were there yet. He couldn’t see very well, but judging by how long the elevator took, he had about five minutes at most to spare. He needed to be quick.

 

He looked once more at Chiaki’s room, making sure nobody was watching for him before sidling down the hall to his room. He grabbed the pillow, noting with disgusted satisfaction that there were, in fact, a few incriminating stains on the pillowcase. Nothing suspicious on their own, but in conjunction with what he was about to do… he might as well be signing his own death warrant. He cracked open the door and looked down the hall once more, making sure nobody would see him. Coast clear, he darted as fast as he could to the lounge, where he shoved the pillow behind the pillar in the back of the room, at an angle where it could easily fall over. Now to meet the girls.

 

He swallowed down his panicked breathing, trying hard to appear normal. He walked awkwardly down the hall to Chiaki’s room, letting out a sigh of relief when he heard voices from behind him. Just after everyone had accumulated in the little hallway, Monokuma appeared before them. “Looks like everyone’s  _ finally  _ here! You guys were going sooo slow, it was so  _ desbearingly _ boring! But! You’re here now! So without further ado, it’s what you’ve aaaall been waiting for: the Monokuma File!” he cried, wiggling in excitement before passing out the files.

 

**_VICTIM: Nanami Chiaki._ **

 

**_LOCATION OF BODY: Her body was found in her bedroom in Grape House; she was killed in the same location._ **

 

**_TIME OF DEATH: The time of death was around 10:30 pm._ **

 

**_CAUSE OF DEATH: The cause of death was suffocation._ **

 

**_OTHER NOTES: She also has light bruising around her arms and ribs. There are no other notable injuries._ **

 

“Well, this is certainly more information than last time,” Hajime noted, tapping through the file on the screen of his ElectroID. A tiny part of him that still feared death was screaming at him to go return the pillow to his room, though he made a valiant effort to ignore it. This had to happen. He didn’t want to make it through this trial alive, he reminded himself.

 

“Let’s split off and start the investigation, huh? We’re wasting daylight here!” Akane said, pounding a fist into her palm. Everyone agreed, though some more reluctantly than others. Hajime couldn’t blame them. They were all tired, but if he had his way this would be the last time they had to go through this.

 

.It had to be


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone split off to investigate, Hajime hanging behind to look around the room some more. Akane and Nekomaru had stuck around to guard the crime scene against tampering. Hajime cursed mentally, biting his lip and trying to look busy. He couldn’t do anything with Akane and Nekomaru watching Chaki’s body, so he resigned himself to investigating normally. Since they no longer had Mikan or anyone capable of doing autopsies, he kind of just awkwardly walked out of the room. His throat felt like he’d swallowed a rock, a lump the size of his fist lodged inside. As he passed the lounge, he stopped dead. The pillow wasn’t behind the pillar anymore. Instead, it was gone. He walked as fast as he dared to his room, eyes widening when he found it back on his bed.

 

“What the hell…” he muttered, picking up the pillow. Sure enough, it was the same pillow he’d shoved behind the pillar. He scowled, poking his head out of his room again. He’d just have to put it back and hope that whoever took it didn’t move it again, since that was really the only piece of solid evidence in this case. He walked back to the lounge, tossing it quickly under a table and backing out when he noticed Kazuichi looking around behind the pillar.

 

“Damn Komaeda… Telling me to look around the lounge when there’s nothing there…” Kazuichi groused, turning around. Hajime barely managed to duck out of the doorway in time, trying to calm his panicked breathing. That had been way too close.He jumped at Kazuichi’s shout of surprise, peeking back in. Apparently, he’d found the pillow. “Back of the room my ass, how’d I manage to miss this?!” he cried, and Hajime heard the telltale click of the ElectroID’s camera. He let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding, stepping away from the wall and composing himself. He walked into the lounge, somehow managing to look like he’d just been walking normally.

 

“Hey, Souda. Find something?” he asked casually, glancing down at the pillow like he’d just seen it. Kazuichi smiled faintly, putting the ID back in one of his pockets.

 

“Yeah, thanks to Komaeda. He told me to look around in here, I guess I missed the pillow down there when I came in. Seems out of place though… You should catologue it too, y’know?” he explained, gesturing.

 

Hajime smiled. “Yeah… I’ll do that. Thanks, Souda.”

 

\--

 

_ ‘Komaeda, huh…?’ _ Hajime frowned slightly, lost in thought. He couldn’t help but remember Nagito saying something about “helping the murderer” and “a clash of two hopes” or something, but he couldn’t remember the exact wording. Then he stopped, eyes widening. If Nagito wanted to help the murderer… Then wouldn’t he hide the evidence? Hajime scowled, cursing under his breath and running off to find him. He needed to stop him, no matter what.

 

He poked his head back into the lounge, smiling when he noticed Kazuichi hadn’t left yet. “Hey, Souda! Quick question, where’d Komaeda go again? Do you know?” Hajime asked, smile not quite erasing the exhaustion from his eyes. Kazuichi scratched the back of his head, shrugging.

 

“Dunno, man. He bumped into me in the big area by the stairs when we all split up, said there was something interesting in the back of the lounge. Maybe he’s downstairs?” he said, biting his lip gently. Hajime sighed, dragging a hand down his face before smiling tiredly at Kazuichi.

 

“Thanks anyway, I’ll find him. Ah, good luck!” he said, waving and leaving the lounge. As soon as he was out of earshot, he let out an exasperated sigh. This is getting ridiculous… Why can’t Komaeda just leave well enough alone?! How’d he even find out the pillow belonged to Hajime?

 

**-KZZT-**

 

**“Hm, ahem! Attention all students, can you hear me? Good! Get your asses to Strawberry Tower, now! I’m tired of waitin’, so don’t be late! Got it?! Good! See you then~”** ****  
**  
** **-KZZT-**

  
Hajime scowled when the crackly announcement faded away. Of course Monokuma had a PA system, that asshole just refused to use it before someone died… He sighed again, changing course for Strawberry Tower. He’d just have to wing the trial, and hope that his friends were still distrustful enough to accuse anyone even slightly suspicious. After all, it’s not like he could’ve gone for that Ultimate Weapon thing… He just had to make do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for: major character death, graphic descriptions of violence and blood

Arriving in Strawberry Tower, Hajime found himself coming in after most everyone else was already there. He looked around, eyes lingering on a pillar where nobody stood. He blinked, shock immobilizing him in the doorway when he saw Chiaki leaning against it, dozing off. Another blink though, and she was gone. He swallowed hard, forcing back the tears. Not yet. Wait for the trial. He stepped out of the doorway, making room for Nagito and Gundam, who’d come in late.

 

“Alright, we’re all here. So, uh… How the heck are we supposed to get to the trial ground?” Kazuichi asked finally, breaking the uneasy silence. Fuyuhiko nodded, looking towards the door.

 

“You’re right, we can’t do anything unless we get outta this building…” he muttered, an annoyed noise following his statement. Akane cocked her head, seemingly listening to something.

 

“Hm? Owari-san, did something happen?” Sonia asked, tilting her head in polite confusion. Akane bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at the floor.

 

“Hrm…Well, not really, just…Do you guys hear something?” she asked, still glaring confusedly at the floor.

 

“Hear something?” Hajime asked, jumping as someone came up next to him.

 

“What do you hear this time, Owa—” Suddenly, as if cutting Nagito off, the ground started to rumble and shake. The trembling got harsher, the quakes causing everyone to scramble to the edges of the room in fear of earthquakes. Not even ten seconds after the last person reached the edge of the room did something… _ strange _ appear.

 

A giant, pink-tinged stone Monokuma head burst up through the floor of Strawberry Tower, completely blocking the grape door and crushing the stone pillars on the other side of the room. Bits of stone dust floated in the air, so thick that it was tough to see. Breathing in prompted hacking and coughing as the dust entered their lungs, persisting for several minutes until it finally settled.

 

“I-Is he telling us to go inside from  _ here?!”  _ Hajime rasped finally, looking up through watering eyes at the massive, sharp-toothed grin on the statue.

 

“Seems that way…” Sonia sighed, smiling nervously. Akane pounded a fist in her palm, grinning widely.

 

“Alright, I’m gonna go!” she yelled, dashing into the Monokuma’s mouth. Fuyuhiko sighed, annoyance and…concern? Annoyance and concern painting his features as he followed her.

 

“At least be a  _ little  _ cautious, when it’s obviously a trap…” he muttered, voice trailing off as he too entered the Monokuma statue. With similar statements, everyone else filed inside. Hajime made to follow when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked back, eyes meeting those of the first and the last person he wanted to see. Nagito smiled absently at him, eyes narrowing slightly.

 

“I know what you did, Hinata-kun,” he said, his serene smile suddenly sending chills down Hajime’s spine. He swallowed thickly, palms sweating.

 

“W-What?” he stuttered, trying to discreetly wipe his hands on his jeans. Nagito’s smile grew sharper, cold and brittle, like ice.

 

“I know you killed Nanami-san. But, my question is… Why? Why would you kill her, and leave evidence just lying around?” he asked, grip tightening. Hajime’s eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat.

 

“I-I…I just wanted everyone to get out safely…I didn’t want everyone to die…Not when they didn’t have to,” he whispered, looking away from Nagito. He poked at a small piece of rubble with the toe of his sneaker, subconsciously tensing for Nagito’s response.

 

“...Heh. I see,” Nagito said, chuckling softly before releasing Hajime’s shoulder. “We should get going, Hinata-kun,” he called over his shoulder, smiling calmly as he walked into Monokuma Rock. Hajime blinked, still reeling slightly from the strangeness of the conversation that had just occurred. He shook his head, resolving not to think about it. He had enough to worry about already, he didn’t need a puzzle to solve too. He followed Nagito into the elevator, hoping he didn’t look as rattled as he felt.

 

The elevator shuddered and jerked, groaning noisily in protest as it began its descent. “When we’re in a normal elevator that shakes this bad…It really puts into perspective how efficient that other one was, huh?” Kazuichi said, once more breaking the tension with a nervous comment. Fuyuhiko snorted, smiling cynically.

 

“Yeah, it really does…” he muttered. After that, everyone was quiet again, but this time it was less awkward and more…somber. Hajime sighed quietly through his nose, the sound lost in the surrounding noise of the elevator. A couple minutes later, the elevator ground to a creaky halt at the trial grounds. The scene the door opened on was more morbidly cheerful than any of the previous trial rooms, all bright pinks and purples plastered on cushiony walls.

 

“Now, I know you all want to applaud the inappropriate decor for this trial but honestly, it’s sooo  _ boring  _ discussing bearly important things like interior design, so let’s just get on with it already!” Monokuma laughed, already settled in his throne. Monomi was swinging from the ceiling again, apparently sobbing her little button eyes out.

 

“So sad… Forcing everyone to do this… It’s so sad…” More whimpers like these floated across the room, but Hajime tuned them out after a while. There was only so much logic-defying sorrow he could listen to before it got old. Monokuma yelled at her again, but like the sobbing, it too was tuned out. He focused again when he noticed everyone moving to their designated podiums, taking his place across from Mikan’s portrait. Monokuma launched into his usual explanation of the class trial, giving Hajime a chance to gather his thoughts. All he had to do was get executed. Couldn’t be  _ too  _ hard, right? It was certainly easier than trying to frame someone else, that’s for sure.

 

“Alright, you say to start, but there’s no clues! What the heck are we supposed to start with?!” Kazuichi cried, tugging on his braid. Hajime blinked. Did he forget already?   
  
“Souda, what about that thing you found in the Grape House lounge? You know, the thing Komaeda showed you?” he prompted, giving Kazuichi a pointed look. At the blank look he received, Hajime couldn’t help but smack a hand against his face. “The pillow. I’m talking about the pillow you found,” he ground out, already feeling a headache starting to form. Maybe this would be harder than he’d thought…

 

“Oh yeah! Man, how’d I forget that…?” Kazuichi said, face lighting up in recognition. Sonia blinked, once more politely confused.

 

“Pillow? Hinata-san, would you mind filling us in?” she asked, completely ignoring Kazuichi. Hajime bit his lip gently, thinking on how best to explain.

 

“Earlier this morning, after we all split off to investigate, I looked around Nanami's room for a bit. Then I left and went to the lounge, where I ran into Souda. He was looking for a piece of evidence Komaeda had told him about, a pillow behind a pillar in the back of the lounge,” Hajime said, tapping his fingers gently on the cloth-covered metal bar of the podium.

 

“Ah, but… Hinata, I found that pillow under a table near the door, not behind a pillar,” Kazuichi interjected, pulling up the photo on his ID and projecting it to the big screen. “Besides, why'd you think it was behind the pillar in the first place? You were there when I found it…”

 

Hajime laughed awkwardly, but inside he was celebrating. Everything was finally going according to plan. “G-guess I just got...mixed up,” he said, looking away.

 

“Hey, I found that pillow too! There were some weird stains on it, smelled a bit like vomit,” Akane said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

 

“Vomit? Then, was that pillow the murder weapon?” Fuyuhiko asked, crossing his arms.

 

“Had to be, it's not like there was any other evidence, right? I mean, except Nanami’s bruises of course,” Hajime said. He sagged slightly against the podium, planning his next move.

 

“Well, there's the fact that she was killed in Grape House, right? That's gotta be a clue, especially since she was killed in her room,” Nekomaru said, a dull clinking filling the room as he tapped a finger on his chin.

 

“Yeah, but couldn't anyone from Strawberry House have just taken an elevator over then gone back once they were done?” Kazuichi asked. Fuyuhiko shook his head.

 

“No, nobody from Strawberry House could've done it. We all went over together in the elevator at around ten, and I didn't leave the lounge until eleven thirty. Nobody even went near the stairs after they went to their rooms. It had to have been someone from Grape House,” he explained, crossing his arms. All eyes turned to Hajime, Akane, and Sonia.

 

“Oh, you're right! Now, I guess we need alibis for the three who were living in Grape House,” Kazuichi said, glancing over at Hajime for a second before looking away again. Sonia bit her lip gently, twisting her hands together.

 

“I will start, I suppose. I went to my room at around nine thirty pm. Being a Deluxe room, it was entirely soundproof. Though I was across the hall from Nanami-san, I didn't hear anything happening. I didn't leave my room again until six forty-five the next morning, where I found Nanami-san dead when I went to wake her up for Monokuma Tai Chi,” she explained. Akane sighed, raking a hand through her hair.

 

“Tough act to follow… Alright, well, I went to my room around the same time as everyone else. I passed out pretty quick, but I'm kind of a light sleeper. I don't know when, but at some point a door squealed and woke me up. I heard footsteps, but by time I got to the door whoever it was was already in Nanami's room. I don't remember what happened after, but I woke up later on the floor,” she said, crossing her arms and shifting her weight agitatedly.

 

Everyone turned to Hajime. He was, despite his plan, breaking out in a cold sweat. Some people had already put the pieces together, realization sparking in their eyes. “H-Hinata-san?” Sonia asked, her voice small and disbelieving. He stayed silent, refusing to meet their eyes. He didn't want to try to explain himself to them, not when he was still so messed up.

 

“.......we should get to the voting,” he said hoarsely, shoulders tensed. Monokuma laughed, flicking his paw to bring up the voting buttons.

 

“Well damn, if you're that eager then let's get to it!” he cackled, gesturing to the buttons with a wide sweep of his arm. “You know what to do by now! Use the lever to select the blackened and press the button to cast your votes!”

 

Hajime swallowed the lump in his throat, clicking the lever into place on his picture. His hand was shaking violently the closer he got to the button, and a fleeting hysterical thought had him laughing quietly to himself, the sound harsh and broken.  _ ‘Does voting for myself count as a suicide?’ _

 

People gave him disturbed looks, the dinging of the buttons sounding more and more like a death knell the longer it went on. Finally, the last person voted. Monokuma's slot machine rose out of the floor, already spinning away.

 

Hajime stared down at his podium, gripping the handrail so tightly his knuckles turned white.  “Well well well, isn't this a surprise! Man, you guys are quick to throw a friend under the bus. You must be, to have voted unanimously! Here's hoping you're ri~ight…” Monokuma said, pressing his paws to his cheeks and wiggling excitedly. The machine stopped, Hajime's sprite clicking into place. The machine started ringing, the big neon “GUILTY” sign flashing cheerily. Kazuichi refused to look at Hajime, instead glaring at the floor. His scowl contrasted sharply with the tears leaking out of his eyes.

 

“Hinata-san… why did you do it? You, out of everyone here… Why?!” Sonia cried, clutching her fists to her chest and trying not to cry. Hajime swallowed thickly, biting his lip and still refusing to look up. He couldn't answer her question, because even he had no idea how to explain himself.

 

He jumped when Fuyuhiko slammed his fist on his podium. “Goddammit Hinata, quit staring at your hands and fucking explain yourself, you bastard!” he snarled, startling Hajime enough that he looked up reflexively. He choked down the lump in his throat, finally finding his voice.

 

“I….I wanted to protect you all…” he croaked, eyes watering. The room fell silent, only Monomi’s hitching breath (do robots even  _ need _ to breathe?) and Sonia’s muffled sobs breaking the silence. After about a minute of everyone staring at Hajime, Fuyuhiko spoke again.

 

“What…?” he whispered hoarsely, sounding devastated. Hajime felt his lips pull back into a smile, though joy was the  _ last  _ emotion he had swirling through the cocktail of despair dominating his mind.

 

“I just wanted to protect you all. I know what I said, about not wanting anyone to die, but… I couldn't live like that. None of you deserved to die because of some stupid sense of nobility. Yeah, I killed Nanami, and I hate myself for it. But if I hadn't, or worse, if I hadn't messed with the investigation like I did… You all would've died!” He broke off here, a helpless, broken laugh tearing its way out of his throat. 

 

“I could've gotten away with it, you know. If I hadn't of run around dropping evidence and acting suspicious, I mean.” He swallowed, wiping his eyes with the palm of one cramped hand. “But then it wouldn't of meant anything, you know? It was either two of us, or all of us.” He sniffled, smiling wider. “Just promise me this is the last of it? I don't want anybody else to die…. and I don't think Nanami would want that either,” he asked, looking at them with pleading eyes.

 

Unfortunately for Hinata, Monokuma chose that moment to step in. “Alright, enough with the sappy shit! Hinata-kun was the blackened all right! And now it's time for his punishment! And boy have I prepared a special one, more than fit for the Ultimate Reserve Course Student!” he laughed, eye gleaming wickedly as he smashed the button. Nagito jolted at this, something dark clouding his face for a split second before it was gone.

 

Cutting off the slew of oncoming questions, a thick metal collar closed around Hajime’s throat. It dragged him off into the execution chamber, this one designed to look like a dingy classroom. A chalkboard slammed down over the window as he was strapped to a desk, writing covering the dusty surface.

 

**_Schoolyard Revenge_ **

 

The board lifted to show Hajime in his restraints, forced to face a Monokuma dressed like a teacher in the front of the room. Surrounding him were the silhouettes of students, though every single one was dressed in a grinning Monokuma mask. The Teacherkuma seemed to be lecturing about the life cycle, when a pencil hit Hajime in the back of the neck, point first.

 

He flinched like he'd just been hit with a knife, trembling as more projectiles were launched from the back of the room. Still the Teacherkuma lectured on, ignoring the havoc breaking out in their classroom. Students rose from their desks, advancing on Hajime. His face drained of most of its color, betraying the terror he tried so hard to keep hidden. Insults were spat out, each cutting remark accompanied by a blow. Poor Hajime could do nothing but sit there and take it, now openly sobbing.

 

The knot of students loosened a bit, enough for the horrified witnesses outside to see Hajime, beaten bloody. His right arm was hanging at an unnatural angle, limp by his side. Blood was dripping out of his nose, and both eyes were swelling up. Bruises littered his visible skin, dark splotches against a darker background. And still, he was breathing. He seemed to be struggling, thrashing around in the chair. One large student grabbed him and bodily threw the chair to the ground, causing his face to contort in agony as one of his ribs broke. The students descended again, this time more vicious than before.

  
When they finally backed up again, Hajime was a bloody lump on the floor, unnaturally still. His eyes stared dead ahead, clouded over with despair and agony as his last breaths left him. Curtains closed over the window, Teacherkuma’s serene smile the last thing Hajime's horrified classmates saw before the room was closed off once more.


End file.
